Remote & Rural Remedies

"Survey return from Robert Watson"

Hoy, Orkney.

1850.

RCP/COL/4/8/171

Robert Watson was a church minister in Hoy.

Hoy was a united parish (with Graemsay) on the Orkney Islands. In the mid-19th century, the population was 647. The main industry was agriculture and herring-fishing.

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[[Addressee]]
To The Revd
The Minister of the Parish
of Hoy
Stromness

[[Survey]]
QUERIES

1. How many Medical Men practice within the Parishes of Hoy and Graemsay?

Not one.

2. The Names and Addresses of these.

[no text]

3. Has the number increased or diminished of late years?

There were never any excepting during the occasional reside visits of the late incumbents’ sone; and the incumbent himself used to bleed¹ persons occasionally

4. Have any left the Parish since you became connected with it? If so, for what reasons?

None

5. Is there any complaint among the people of inadequacy in the supply of Medical aid?

The want of medical aid may be frequently felt – especially in winter when the communication with Stromness is sometimes difficult or impracticable.

6. Do you know of any cases of protracted suffering, or of injury by Accident, such as might have been alleviated had proper advice been at hand?

[no text]

7. To what extent is the deficiency of qualified Practitioners made up by the efforts of other parties?

To almost no extent – The woman who acts as midwife has no skill excepting what she may have obtained from practice and none of the parishioners can use the lancet

8. Does your experience enable you to suggest any measure – of general applicability – such as would be likely to relieve to some extent the evils (if they exist) of deficiency in the supply of Medical aid?

It is desirable that some woman should go south to learn midwifery, and that she should be enabled to so at as little expense as possible

9. What Heritors² are resident, either generally or occasionally, in your Parish?

John G. Heddle Esq of Melseter during a small part of the Summer, during most of which he resides at Melseter by Longhope – In winter he generally resides in Kirkwall.

[[Additional Text]]

Hoy by Stromness
29th Nov. 1850
Robert Watson

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Explanatory notes:

1. Bleeding, or bloodletting, is the withdrawal of blood from a patient to prevent or cure illness and disease. This was a common medical practice in the 1800s, dating back to antiquity, and was often carried out by unlicensed healers as well as qualified physicians.
2. A heritor was a landowner, under Scots Law, whose holdings were sizeable enough for them to be liable for the payment of public burdens such as Poor Law rates, road and bridge assessments and the church minister’s stipend.